1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a closure assembly for placement on an inverted water bottle such as those commonly used for containing and dispensing mineral water or purified water for human consumption. In particular, the present invention is related to a closure assembly for preventing air entering the water bottle from bubbling upward through the bottled water and causing contamination of the water and flexing of the walls and bottom of water bottles made from flexible material such as plastics. Another embodiment of the invention is related to a valve for preventing an inverted water bottle having a hole in the lower end thereof from draining into a water cooler. An additional embodiment of the invention is related to a closure which prevents water from flowing from an inverted bottle which is being placed on a water cooler.
2. Background of the Invention
Both glass and plastic water bottles are well known in the art. Water coolers commonly utilize inverted water bottles to provide mineral water or distilled water in areas where drinking water may not be of the desired purity. A conventional water cooler commonly has an open top and a water containing reservoir in which a bottle is placed after inverting the bottle. The water in the reservoir rises as water flows from the bottle to form a seal with the spout of the bottle when the water level in the reservoir reaches the spout, thereby stopping the flow of water from the bottle. The reservoir is cooled by a refrigeration unit, ice or the like contained in the cooler.
When withdrawing water from the bottle it is necessary to allow air to enter the spout of the bottle in order for the water to be withdrawn from the bottle. Commonly when the water level in the reservoir drops beneath the surface of the spout of the bottle, air then bubbles upwardly through the distilled or purified water as water pours from the bottle into the reservoir. As the air bubbles upwardly through the bottle, impurities in the air are absorbed by the water, thus causing some contamination of the water depending upon the degree of contamination of the air. In locations such as office buildings and hospitals, there may be many impurities in the air which can contaminate the purified drinking water. Thus, it is desirable to provide a way to introduce air into the interior of a water bottle without bubbling the air upward through the water.
A further problem associated with inverted plastic water bottles is the fatigue failure of the bottom of the bottles caused by air bubbles. When air is bubbled upwardly in a conventional plastic water bottle, the bottom of the inverted bottle flexes upwardly and downwardly with each bubble. Continual flexing of the bottom of the bottle causes fatigue failure in the plastic material from which the water bottle is constructed, especially if there is a small indentation in the bottle or a split, cut or crack caused by handling or dropping a full bottle of water prior to loading the bottle in a machine. It is thus desirable to introduce air into the interior of the bottle in a smooth and continuous manner without causing the bottle of the bottle to flex due to bubbles entering the bottle.
Another problem encountered with inverted plastic water bottles is leakage of the bottles caused by a crack at some point in the bottle which causes air to enter the interior of the bottle. Such leakage from the bottle can be very expensive due to water damage of the floor and/or carpets surrounding the water cooler.
Still another problem encountered with inverted plastic water bottles is the spillage that occurs while the bottle is being placed in the cooler. Such spillage while the bottle is inverted can wet the area around the cooler and the person installing the bottle.
Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for introducing air into the interior of an inverted water bottle without bubbling air upward through water in the bottle.
It is another object of the present invention to introduce air into the interior of an inverted water bottle in a continuous manner which will not cause flexing of the bottom of the bottle.
It is further object of the present invention to prevent all of the water from flowing from an inverted water bottle when a crack or hole is formed in the bottom of the bottle allowing air to enter the bottle.
It is an additional object of the invention to prevent water from flowing from an inverted water bottle as it is being installed in a bottled water cooler.